Smart Bid, Violon Sacre square off in PTHA President’s Cup

Smart Bid (middle) gamely captured the Mervin Muniz Memorial earlier this season (Lynn Roberts/Hodges Photography) The well-traveled SMART BID (Smart Strike) will seek to garner a second stakes win on the season in Saturday’s $250,000 PTHA President’s Cup at Parx Racing near Philadelphia. The nine-furlong grass test also features nine others, including several graded stakes winners. From his base in Fair Hill, Maryland, the Graham Motion-trained Smart Bid has ventured far and wide this season. Beginning his five-year-old campaign in Florida, the George Strawbridge homebred later raced in Louisiana, Kentucky, Virginia, California and Canada. Saturday’s trip to neighboring Pennsylvania, a short one by his standards, will see him reunited with jockey Edgar Prado and race as the 122-pound co-highweight. Smart Bid has been an infrequent visitor to the winner’s circle the past two years, often settling for minor awards. The one bright spot occurred in the March 26 Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial H. (G2) at Fair Grounds, where the dark bay prevailed by a nose in a four-way photo. Narrow beats in the Gulfstream Park Turf H. (G1) and Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (G1) book-ended that performance, while minor placings this season in the Fort Lauderdale S. (G3), Colonial Turf Cup, Eddie Read S. (G1) and Sky Classic (Can-G2) were by more significant margins.

VIOLON SACRE (Stravinsky) captured the President’s Cup last year by 1 1/2
lengths over Rahy’s Attorney, and later added the Knickerbocker H. (G3).
Unplaced in his final two outings of 2010 in California, the six-year-old was
out of action seven months prior to returning in the July 31 Oceanport S. (G3).
A non-threatening sixth that day, he figures to be much fitter while toting a
relatively light 113 pounds.

BIM BAM (Deputy Wild Cat) is winless in eight outings this year, but has
fared well several times since joining the Ron Moquett barn. His most noteworthy
effort was his second-place finish in the Manhattan H. (G2), a race preceded by
a third in the Dixie S. (G2). Upset in the Sussex S. at Delaware following the
Manhattan, Bim Bam failed to muster a rally when sixth in the Sword Dancer
Invitational (G1) last time.

Blowing hot and cold this season is the Woodbine-based STORMY LORD (Stormy
Atlantic), who also carries 122 pounds and figures to be among the early
leaders. On or near the pace when taking the Connaught Cup (Can-G2) by three
lengths and the restricted Ontario Jockey Club S. by one length, the gelding has
wilted badly in two other stakes appearances at sprint distances. Another who
could show early foot is the Grade 1-placed CITRUS KID (Lemon Drop Kid), a
two-time allowance winner this term who has been out of action the last five
months.

The other half of the field will be longshots. AFLEET AGAIN (Afleet Alex), a
Grade 3 winner on dirt, was soundly beaten in his lone turf try. LUBASH (Freud)
has come up short in New York-bred stakes of late, while FEELS ALL RIGHT (Ire) (Danehill
Dancer) and THE COGNAC KID (Hennessy) are both claiming-quality types on grass.
The allowance-class CAT PARK (Tale of the Cat), however, enters the President’s
Cup with a two-for-two mark on the Parx turf course.